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APRIL 2017 – In an already booming population growth, utility infrastructure in Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, is on the rise. In an effort to stay ahead of this growth, Metro Water Services (Metro) uses a water distribution system model to establish a Water Master Growth Plan for future improvements needed within the system.

Projecting growth models is paramount in serving Metro’s 187,000 customers. Metro’s water system is comprised of two water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 180 million gallons per day (MGD) and a distribution system containing more than 3,000 miles of waterlines.

The Cumberland City Low Transmission Water Main was developed to eliminate possible future water pressure and flow problems. The $32.9 million project is the largest monetary water main project Metro has undertaken in more than 30 years.

Garney crews are working 24 hours per day to install 27,000 LF of 10″ to 60″ ductile iron water main through major intersections in Nashville. This water main will provide the first phase of the replacement waterline to the K. R. Harrington Water Treatment Plant and will provide a redundant water main to the east side of the Stones River. Construction also includes 460 LF of 48″ and 60″ RCP stormwater pipe, 290 LF of 36″ ball and socket ductile iron pipe, dewatering for the Stones River crossing, 120 LF of 96″ horizontal directional drill liner plate tunnel under a railroad track, a tie-in to an existing 60″ PCCP water main, rock excavation, and several water service connections.

Multiple routing alternatives were evaluated and compared, with consideration given to numerous criteria including environmental, legal, water quality, permitting, property acquisition, constructability, cost, schedule, and overall impact to Metro’s customers. The selected route provided the best flow conditions and shortened the water age in the distribution system.

“Garney has further worked with Metro and design engineer, Gresham, Smith and Partners, to tremendously minimize traffic disruption on Lebanon Road and Donelson Pike,” said Cyrus Toosi, Assistant Director of Engineering at Metro Water Services. “Garney is also playing a large role in an extensive public outreach program, interfacing with residents and businesses to minimize disruption.”

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APRIL 2017 – A new advanced wastewater treatment plant which will eventually serve 300,000 customers across five Colorado metropolitan cities is now treating wastewater after 45 months of construction and commissioning. The $258 million plant is one of the largest progressive design-build wastewater treatment plants constructed in the United States to date.

With a rapidly growing community, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District began planning for the Northern Treatment Plant back in 1982. The new facility has capacity to treat 24 million gallons per day (MGD) with a buildout to 60 MGD.

Since construction started in late 2012, Garney has constructed more than 32 structures totaling more than 300,000 square feet of building footprint, 24 miles of yard piping, 3,000 valves, and 14 miles of interior piping that span the 100-acre site in Brighton, Colorado. Garney crews self-performed 950,000 man-hours over a 3.5 year construction period.

Construction and commissioning was completed by Fall 2016. Commissioning activities ensured the new facility would not only meet or surpass all regulatory requirements, but would also do so in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The plant has been fully operational since late September 2016.

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APRIL 2017 – Garney Construction is pleased to welcome Austin Delimont, CPA, CCIFP, as Assistant Controller of Operations. In this new role, Delimont will be responsible for managing Garney’s accounting, financial reporting, and tax compliance and reporting.

Delimont joins the Garney team after a 9-year career with CBIZ and Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C. While at the national accounting and auditing firm, Delimont was responsible for large attest engagements, assisting in the preparation of financial statements, and resolving critical audit and risk issues with a primary focus in the construction industry.

Delimont is a graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor of science in Business Administration – Finance and Accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP). The CCIFP designation is the only accounting certification for construction financial professionals and is accredited by the American National Standards Institute. Delimont’s background, in parallel with this designation, will provide verification essential to ethical financial management in today’s complex construction industry. According to the Institute of Certified Construction Industry Financial Professionals, Delimont is one of only 900 who hold the designation nationwide.

“Austin has been recognized as one of the brightest young talents in the field,” said Jeff Lacy, Chief Financial Officer of Garney Construction. “Prior to joining Garney, he worked as Garney’s Account Manager for five years and exhibited all of the characteristics that align with Garney’s goals and philosophies. He will be a tremendous asset to the Garney team.”

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NOVEMBER 2016 — Financial close has been reached on the Vista Ridge Water Supply Project, allowing Garney to begin overseeing the design, construction, and financing of a 142-mile pipeline. As one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, the 142-mile pipeline is a critical project for San Antonio as it will deliver 16.3 billion gallons of water to the rapidly growing community.

The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) board voted unanimously to consent to the financial close. Garney will continue to assume the regulatory, financial, and construction risk of the project. This public-private partnership (P3) venture is a significant milestone for Garney. It signifies Garney’s ability to invest in the financial and logistical requirements to undertake the $927 million program.

Vista Ridge will expand San Antonio’s water supply by 20 percent, decreasing pressure on the sensitive Edwards Aquifer, which is subject to federal, state and regional pumping regulations. SAWS is a national leader in water conservation, and the Vista Ridge pipeline will complement SAWS’ continued conservation efforts and development of other water resources as San Antonio adds one million residents by 2040.

Construction is set to begin in early 2017 and last through 2019, with water flowing in early 2020. SAWS and its customers will only pay for the water that actually makes it to San Antonio. After 30 years, in 2050, SAWS would own the pipeline.

“Achieving financial close is a huge milestone and development of this important project,” said Scott Parrish, Chief Operating Officer of Garney Construction. “Our team is ready to commence construction and be in a position to deliver water to San Antonio in 2020.”

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OCTOBER 2016 – Since joining Garney six months ago, Tim Porter has developed impressive growth within the power and industrial market. Porter joined Garney in April 2016 as Business Development Manager with a sole focus to broaden Garney’s client base in the power and industrial market sector throughout the United States. He brings 27 years of experience in the private sector, primarily within the power market delivering large-scale water supply and related infrastructure. This week, Porter sat down to share insight on the direction of the market and the plan for the future.

With more than 27 years of private and industrial construction expertise, what prompted you to join Garney?

Garney is a national leader in the water resource market. With the power and industrial market on a slow but steady comeback, I saw Garney in a great position to where I could help leverage Garney’s leadership role, national footprint, and established industry relationships within the market sector.

What have you learned at Garney within the past six months that will drive future growth in the private market sector?

As a previous competitor of Garney’s, I was surprised to learn the level of commitment to attracting bright young talent. Combining this with the long-term experienced ‘gray beards’ is a solid package for growth.

One challenge is transitioning some of the relationship capitol of the established individuals so the company can maintain a network of layers with our clients and engineering partners.

How will you leverage Garney’s expertise in water and wastewater infrastructure within this market segment?

We have already begun by bringing young talent to lead complicated power and industrial projects.  This exposure will pay dividends for many years to come. It also creates an urgency for managers to share their skills and expertise. The challenge is this requires more time from an already stretched contingency of the company.

From your perspective, what challenges must the power and industrial market overcome with regard to stringent regulations in maintaining existing infrastructure?

The complete lack of a comprehensive energy plan in our country has hindered the power market for nearly all of my career. Regulatory impacts and unrealistic timelines have forced closures of many valuable assets within the coal and nuclear segment prior to the end of their anticipated design life. These types of assets will not be easily rebuilt in a pinch.

Garney stands to benefit from the most recent regulatory assault. The new ELG (Effluent Limitation Guidelines) regulations will prohibit coal-fired power plants from discharging ash related effluent through current permitted outfalls. This in itself creates pipeline and treatment opportunities, but the short deadline creates urgency that will consume all of the capable contractors and vendors’ resources. Garney is working to position ourselves to capitalize on this perfect storm via strong joint venture agreements and building new relationships with Owners.

What is unique about working in the power and industrial market?

The power and industrial markets present tough projects with tight timelines that force contractors to hit the ground running with very little design completed. Contractors who stub their toe early can face crippling damages along with being ostracized in the industry.

What is your strategy for success?

It may sound simple, but I believe in showing up. So many people are content to work through email and long distance communication. It is nearly impossible to build a strong relationship and garner the type of insight necessary to solve a client’s issues from afar. Once you show up, be a resource.  There are plenty of vendors who will buy lunch but fail to deliver any value. If you spend time with the client, it is almost impossible not to learn about the business. Once you do that, try to understand what they want before you get to what you want.

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OCTOBER 2016 – Work is officially underway with the groundbreaking of the new KC-46A Tanker Sustainment Campus at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This future depot maintenance facility will be home to the Air Force’s next-generation aerial refueling aircraft, the KC-46A Pegasus. The Contrack Watts / Garney Federal joint venture will construct $36 million in new utility infrastructure for the depot maintenance facility, including water, wastewater, industrial waste, storm, and dry utilities. This project marks the first of several military construction projects to deliver KC-46 capabilities to Tinker Air Force Base. The KC-46A Pegasus, designed by Boeing, will refuel military aircraft while employing multiple layers of protection to detect and defeat in medium-threat environments.

The 158-acre campus will provide a number of hangars, ramp infrastructure, software innovation labs, and engine test facilities. This facility will benefit the nation’s generations for years to come, and will generate more than 1,300 new jobs for the State of Oklahoma. The Contrack Watts / Garney Federal team anticipates completing construction by spring 2018.

This is a milestone project for Garney Federal. “We are excited to serve our Air Force through this Army Corps of Engineers contract,” said Jay McQuillen, P.E., President of Garney Federal. “Working with our pipe operations and industry partners, we see this as an opportunity to add the Federal customer to Garney’s already successful public client operations. This project will carry us well into 2017, and allow Garney Federal to build Government contracting capabilities.”

Learn more about the KC-46A Tanker Sustainment Campus and how the KC-46A Pegasus tanker will provide security for our nation’s defense.

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OCTOBER 2016 – The year 2014 marked one of the worst droughts in Texas history, driving the City of Abilene, Texas, to initiate the PK Second Stage Drought Strategy project to develop available water sources.

Stage One of the City’s plan, the Hamby Water Reclamation Facility and Indirect Reuse project, was completed in 2015 providing much needed relief to the area. The raw water augmentation from the Hamby project only offset 25 percent of the daily water demands, which was not enough to counteract the historic drought.

Enprotec / Hibbs & Todd, Inc. (eHT) was tasked to develop the design for improvements to use brackish raw water from Possum Kingdom Lake and desalinate the raw water to a sufficient level to match current raw water quality from Hubbard Creek Reservoir. The City’s goals required upgrading the existing Possum Kingdom Lake intake pump station, owned by the Brazos River Authority, installation of 42 miles of raw water, product water and concentrate pipelines, and a raw water roughing facility (RWRF) designed to desalinate raw water prior to final conventional water treatment.

With the City’s objective to start using Possum Kingdom Lake water no later than the summer of 2015, eHT determined Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery would be vital in meeting the project’s aggressive schedule. Garney was selected as the CMAR through a value-based selection process in late 2014 and worked with eHT to fast-track the schedule. This included purchasing long lead materials and developing subcontracted scopes while final design was underway. Features of this critical project included:

RAW WATER PIPELINE: 48,890 LF of 36-inch C303 bar wrapped pipe, 565 LF of 48-inch steel cased bores, two connections to existing facilities, blow-off and ARV appurtenances

PRODUCT WATER PIPELINE: 36,730 LF of 36-inch C303 bar wrapped pipe, 3,374 LF of 36-inch HDPE horizontal directional drill (HDD), 804 LF of 48-inch steel cased bores, four connections to existing facilities, blow-off and ARV appurtenances

CONCENTRATE PIPELINE: 70,332 LF of 12-inch PVC pipe, 13,300 LF of 14-inch HDPE, 45 HDDs, outfall structure, and ARV appurtenances

Construction of the 36-inch raw water and product water pipelines was completed in November 2015 allowing the transfer of water to the City of Abilene. Today, the City continues to take a leadership role within the region by exploring opportunities with eHT and Garney to conserve available water supply. With water security becoming a growing issue in West Texas, the City remains diligent in determining solutions to provide additional water now, and for future generations to come.

“The City of Abilene is proud to have implemented a second stage short-term drought response strategy that included 30 miles of raw water, product water and concentrate pipelines along with the construction of a Raw Water Roughing Facility designed to partially desalinate raw PK water prior to being sent to Abilene for final, conventional water treatment,” said Tommy O’Brien, Executive Water Utilities Director for the City of Abilene. “Critical challenges that were successfully met include fast-track design and construction of a Reverse Osmosis system.”

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OCTOBER 2016 – Following years of action by a diverse alliance of water sector organizations, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 has passed with strong bipartisan support. This is a crucial step to investing in the future of water infrastructure. The bill passed with a 95-3 vote on September 15 and is now pending consideration by the House.

Since the development of this bill, Garney has maintained an active presence in voicing support through local congressional representatives. If passed, this hallmark legislation will authorize new and existing water infrastructure financing through fiscal year 2021. Impactful authorizations and reforms to the bill include:

• Investment in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water resources and conservation projects including: navigation, flood management, and ecosystem restoration
• Aid in reducing communities’ public health risks and rural drinking water systems
• Development of financing for innovation in water technology

Learn more about the importance of this bill and its potential impact through the Library of Congress.

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JULY 2016 — In an effort to better serve the Left Hand Water District’s (the District) 20,000 customers during summer peak demand, the 8 million gallon per day (MGD) Dodd Water Treatment Plant needed additional capacity. The District selected the Garney Water Partnership, a joint venture between Garney Construction and Burns & McDonnell, to complete the $29 million design-build plant expansion. This project marked the first alternative delivery project for the District. During the value-based selection, Garney Water Partnership was the only team that could meet the District’s aggressive schedule.

“The District was extremely concerned with keeping the project on schedule without compromising quality or rushing decisions,” said Christopher Smith, General Manager of Left Hand Water District. “Through the design-build process, we were able to move forward with pre-purchasing major systems and site excavation, while continuing to focus on the details of our new plant.”

Throughout the project, Garney worked closely with Burns & McDonnell to identify project phasing and value engineering options to meet the schedule and budget. During the design phase, Garney provided design reviews and work packages, in addition to developing the guaranteed maximum price (GMP). Construction commenced once the GMP was established but prior to final design. This approach accelerated the schedule and the start of construction. Garney was able to conduct design reviews throughout final design development, while simultaneously self-performing construction.

“By the time we had a final design, excavation was complete and Garney successfully met an extremely aggressive schedule with the new plant treating water by May 2016,” said Smith.

As a peaking plant for the District, the facility only operates during the summer when water demands increase from farmers and residents within 110 square miles throughout Boulder and Weld counties. The existing plant had to remain in operation until September 2015 and return online by late spring 2016. This limited the construction schedule to a nine month winter shutdown. The demolition and installation of the Pall membranes in the existing plant could not begin until shutdown, leaving no margin for error in coordinating work activities.

The facility, now rated at 16 MGD, is currently in operation providing water to the District’s customers while Garney completes final phases of closeout. Substantial completion was achieved ahead of schedule on May 12, 2016. The project was also completed below budget, which will allow the District to complete additional upgrades at their primary facility.

“We have no doubt that few teams could have met all of our objectives within such a compressed design and construction timeline,” said Smith.

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JULY 2016 — Public-private partnerships, commonly referred to as P3, are growing rapidly in popularity in many states across the country. With limited funding, an increasing number of municipalities are turning to the private sector.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), upgrading the country’s infrastructure will cost $3.6 billion by 2020. As the nation’s infrastructure continues to decline, P3 is quickly becoming an avenue for state and municipal funding. Legislation in favor of P3 is also on the rise.

Garney is an active supporter of P3 legislation, and recently finalized the takeover of the Vista Ridge Water Supply project. This P3 venture is a significant milestone as Garney will play a lead role in overseeing the design, construction, and financing for a 142-mile raw water system. Vista Ridge will expand San Antonio’s water supply by 20 percent, decreasing pressure on the sensitive Edwards Aquifer, which is subject to Federal, state and regional pumping regulations.

Construction is set to begin early next year and last through 2019, with water flowing by 2020.

“We’re excited to help secure San Antonio’s water future,” said Scott Parrish, Chief Operating Officer for Garney Construction. “Garney has a 30-year history delivering projects for SAWS water ratepayers and we’re here for the next 30 years – you’ve got a company that can get the project to the finish line and secure the water future for this community.”

For more information on P3, visit The National Council for Public for Public-Private Partnerships.

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